Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon (Wii) - Review by jofra01

Introduction

Final Fantasy is a series that has spawned across nearly a majority of today's and yesterday's handhelds and consoles, finally it has made its way to the Nintendo Wii with 'Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon'. Although 'Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon' isn't equivalent to the main Final Fantasy series it does meet up to the quality of some of them. Within this game you find yourself as one of those lovable Chocobo's, or yellow chickens are some like to refer to them, and find yourself on a large adventure in the style of dungeon crawling.

Gameplay

Unlike most Nintendo Wii games that see you waggling your way through the game Chocobo's Dungeon has you using your Nintendo Wii remote on it's side similar to a NES controller. The game is like previous Chocobo titles within the series and has you exploring dungeons in a turn based style. When you are within dungeon levels everytime you move all enemies within the area, who you might not be able to see, also move and they could be heading towards you or away from you. Now if you just happen to be so unfortunate to come across an enemy or two you will be placed in a turn based battle where you have to destroy the enemies. Each enemy you come across whether it be a bat, fire monster or a large dragon each have their own weakness and strength and as Chocobo you have to use the moves you have available to you to your advantage. Throughout the game you will get stronger and level up but you will also learn new fighting moves depending on the situation.

Now when you aren't in a dungeon trying to revive someone's memory or retrieve an item you will be within the main world in which you can walk around and visit and talk to people along with going to the shops to purchase items. One of the main strong points within this title though is you can receive different classes of job positions like a knight, dark mage, white mage or even more classes. Each class has very own advantage and disadvantage like Black Mages can cast spells that deal damage to enemies while White Mages can cast spells that heal people and things. Chocobo's Dungeon may sound like a simple title within the gameplay but it does have complexity within it as when your within a dungeon you don't actually know where you are heading as it is made up of different levels. Another complex thing is that if you just so happen to die within a dungeon all items you have in your possession that are not equipped will automatically be lost and if you go back within the dungeon the whole layout will be changed.

Controls

Using the Wii Remote horizontally or vertically the game offers no motion control nor the use of the nunchuk. Using just the D-Pad and depending on what position the Wii Remote is in you will use the 1&2 button or A&B buttons. The game just has you using the D-Pad to actually control Chocobo and where he moves and the other two buttons are used for attacking. Although the controls may not be overly complex and not have motion control it is really the only way the game would work unless the nunchuk control stick were to be used for movement.

Graphics

The graphics within this title are actually well detailed and are a nice visual to look at. Characters, towns, buildings and enemies are very detailed while the dungeons within the game have a very basic layout and simple design. The cut-scenes within the game are probably the best visuals you will see within the title as it is obvious Square-Enix hasn't held back.

Sound

Like all Final Fantasy titles Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon actually offers a rich soundtrack which fans of the series will obviously enjoy. The songs aren't really repetitive and each song is used within the right atmosphere making for a nice soundtrack. Along with good music the game also has voice acting which one doesn't actually expect to find within a Chocobo title. The voice acting has been done well but some things said by certain characters may be a little annoying and the noise Chocobo does make gets really annoying after a while.

Final comments

If you want an in depth Final Fantasy title on the Nintendo Wii then Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is the only game you can turn to but it won't let you down. Offering at least 30 hours of gameplay you will find a rich game experience that is both simple and complex in play. The game has excellent graphics along with a good soundtrack meaning this is a game you should consider to other Wii titles.

Pro: Good Voice Acting, Good Soundtrack, Good Graphics, In depth gameplay
Con: 30 Hours+ isn't enough, Chocobo's sounds get annoying after a while
Final score: 8.6

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